Phase 3 Head-to-Head ENDEAVOR Study Demonstrates Superiority Of Kyprolis® (carfilzomib) Over Velcade® (bortezomib) In Patients With Relapsed Multiple Myeloma
Study Met Primary Endpoint of Progression-Free Survival
Patients Receiving Kyprolis Lived Twice as Long Without Disease Progression
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. and SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) and its subsidiary Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced the results from a planned interim analysis showing that the Phase 3 head-to-head clinical trial ENDEAVOR evaluating Kyprolis® (carfilzomib) for Injection in combination with low-dose dexamethasone versus Velcade® (bortezomib) and low-dose dexamethasone met the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS). Patients with relapsed multiple myeloma treated with Kyprolis lived twice as long without their disease worsening, demonstrating statistically and clinically significant superiority over Velcade (median PFS 18.7 months versus 9.4 months, HR=0.53, 95 percent CI, 0.44 – 0.65).
The Kyprolis combination demonstrated superiority over the Velcade combination for secondary objectives of higher overall response rate and lower neuropathy events. Overall survival data are not yet mature and continue to be monitored.
Treatment discontinuation due to adverse events and on-study deaths were comparable between the two arms. The rates of cardiac failure and renal failure for Kyprolis were comparable to those observed in the Phase 3 ASPIRE study. In ENDEAVOR, the rates for cardiac and renal failure were higher in the Kyprolis arm versus the Velcade arm. There was an increase in the incidence of hypertension and dyspnea in the Kyprolis arm compared to Velcade and that observed in the ASPIRE study.
Full data will be submitted for presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2015 Annual Meeting.
"We are excited about the results with Kyprolis in the ENDEAVOR and ASPIRE studies and the potential positive impact for patients with relapsed multiple myeloma," said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer at Amgen.
"As new treatment options become available to patients with relapsed multiple myeloma, comparative trials, like ENDEAVOR, are becoming increasingly important to help physicians make informed decisions about the optimal care for patients," said Pablo J. Cagnoni, M.D., president, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "Demonstrating superiority over Velcade in this head-to-head trial supports our goal of ensuring continued improvement of patient outcomes and potentially establishing Kyprolis as the backbone of therapy for patients with multiple myeloma."
The ENDEAVOR study is the first of two head-to-head studies for Kyprolis versus Velcade, an established proteasome inhibitor, currently approved to treat multiple myeloma.
About ENDEAVOR The randomized ENDEAVOR (RandomizEd, OpeNLabel, Phase 3 Study of Carfilzomib Plus DExamethAsone Vs Bortezomib Plus DexamethasOne in Patients With Relapsed Multiple Myeloma) trial of 929 patients evaluated Kyprolis in combination with low-dose dexamethasone, versus Velcade with low-dose dexamethasone in patients whose multiple myeloma has relapsed after at least one, but not more than three prior therapeutic regimens. The primary endpoint of the trial was PFS, defined as the time from treatment initiation to disease progression or death.
Patients received Kyprolis as a 30 minute infusion along with low-dose dexamethasone (20 mg). For Cycle 1 only, Kyprolis was administered at 20 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2, followed by escalation to 56 mg/m2 on days 8, 9, 15, and 16. Patients who tolerated 56 mg/m2 in Cycle 1 were kept at this dose for subsequent cycles on days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 on a 28 day cycle. Patients who received Velcade (1.3 mg/m2) with low-dose dexamethasone (20 mg) were administered Velcade subcutaneously or intravenously at the discretion of the investigator and in accordance with regulatory approval of Velcade. More than 75 percent of the patients in the control arm received Velcade subcutaneously. This study was conducted at 235 sites worldwide. For information about this trial, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov under trial identification number NCT01568866.
About Multiple Myeloma Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematologic cancer and results from an abnormality of plasma cells, usually in the bone marrow. Worldwide, nearly 230,000 people are living with multiple myeloma,1 approximately 114,000 new cases were diagnosed and 80,000 people died in 2012.2 In the U.S., approximately 83,000 people are living with multiple myeloma and more than 22,000 new cases were diagnosed and more than 10,000 people died in 2013.3 In Europe, approximately 89,000 people are living with multiple myeloma,1 approximately 42,000 new cases were diagnosed and approximately 26,000 people died in 2012.1,2
About Kyprolis® (carfilzomib) for Injection On July 20, 2012, the U.S. FDA granted accelerated approval of Kyprolis for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least two prior therapies including bortezomib and an immunomodulatory agent (IMiD) and have demonstrated disease progression on or within 60 days of completion of the last therapy. Approval was based on response rate. Clinical benefit, such as improvement in survival or symptoms, has not been verified. Kyprolis is administered intravenously over 2 to 10 minutes, on two consecutive days each week for three weeks (Days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16), followed by a 12-day rest period (Days 17 to 28) at a recommended Cycle 1 dose of 20 mg/m2/day and if tolerated increased Cycle 2 dose and subsequent cycles doses of 27 mg/m2/day.
Kyprolis is also approved for use in Argentina, Mexico and Israel.
Kyprolis is marketed in the U.S. by Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an Amgen subsidiary.
Kyprolis is a product of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Onyx Pharmaceuticals is a subsidiary of Amgen and holds development and commercialization rights to Kyprolis globally, excluding Japan. For more information about Kyprolis, visit http://www.kyprolis.com.
Important Safety Information Regarding Kyprolis® (carfilzomib) for Injection Safety data have been evaluated in 526 patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma who received single-agent Kyprolis. There were 37 deaths in the Phase 2 studies, or 7 percent of patients. The most common causes of death, other than disease progression, were cardiac events (5 patients), end-organ failure (4 patients) and infection (4 patients). Important warnings and precautions include cardiac arrest, congestive heart failure, myocardial ischemia, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary complications, infusion reactions, tumor lysis syndrome, thrombocytopenia, hepatic toxicity and embryo-fetal toxicity.
Death due to cardiac arrest has occurred within a day of Kyprolis administration. Patients with New York Heart Association Class III and IV heart failure, myocardial infarction in the preceding 6 months and conduction abnormalities uncontrolled by medications were not eligible for the clinical trials. These patients may be at greater risk for cardiac complications.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) was reported in 2 percent of patients treated with Kyprolis and was Grade 3 or greater in less than 1 percent of patients. Dyspnea was reported in 35 percent of patients enrolled in clinical trials. Grade 3 dyspnea occurred in 5 percent; no Grade 4 events and 1 death (Grade 5) was reported.
Infusion reactions, characterized by a spectrum of systemic symptoms including fever, chills, arthralgia, myalgia, facial flushing, facial edema, vomiting, weakness, shortness of breath, hypotension, syncope, chest tightness, or angina can occur immediately following or up to 24 hours after administration of Kyprolis. Administration of dexamethasone prior to Kyprolis reduces the incidence and severity of reactions. Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) occurred following Kyprolis administration in <1 percent of patients. Patients with multiple myeloma and a high tumor burden should be considered to be at greater risk for TLS.
Thrombocytopenia following Kyprolis administration resulted in a dose reduction in 1 percent of patients and discontinuation of treatment with Kyprolis in <1 percent of patients.
Cases of hepatic failure, including fatal cases, have been reported (<1 percent). Kyprolis can cause elevations of serum transaminases and bilirubin.
There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women using Kyprolis. Females of reproductive potential should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant while being treated with Kyprolis.
The most common serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, acute renal failure, pyrexia and congestive heart failure. The most common adverse reactions (incidence of 30 percent or greater) observed in clinical trials of patients with multiple myeloma were fatigue, anemia, nausea, thrombocytopenia, dyspnea, diarrhea and pyrexia. Serious adverse reactions were reported in 45 percent of patients.
About Amgen Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
About Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Based in South San Francisco, California, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an Amgen subsidiary, is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for improving the lives of people with cancer. The company is focused on developing novel medicines that target key molecular pathways. For more information about Onyx, visit the company's website at www.onyx.com. Onyx Pharmaceuticals is on Twitter. Sign up to follow our Twitter feed @OnyxPharm at http://twitter.com/OnyxPharm.
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Velcade® (bortezomib) is a registered trademark of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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